A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Sunday, February 22 (game #987).
Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.
SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.
NYT Connections today (game #988) - today's words
Today's NYT Connections words are…
- NEW YEAR'S EVE
- VOLCANO
- MASQUERADE
- PARTY HAT
- CHRISTMAS
- TREE
- MISTLETOE
- GORGE
- BLUFF
- POSTURE
- CONE
- WEDDING
- BOLT
- SCARF
- BLARNEY STONE
- INHALE
- FRONT
NYT Connections today (game #988) - hint #1 - group hints
What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?
- PURPLE: Smooch locations
- BLUE: Pretender
- YELLOW: Gobble your food
- GREEN: Funnel shaped
Need more clues?
We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…
NYT Connections today (game #988) - hint #2 - group answers
What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?
- PURPLE: SETTINGS FOR A KISS
- BLUE: POSE
- YELLOW: EAT VORACIOUSLY
- GREEN: CONICAL THINGS
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Connections today (game #988) - the answers
The answers to today's Connections, game #988, are…
- PURPLE: SETTINGS FOR A KISS BLARNEY STONE, MISTLETOE, NEW YEAR'S EVE, WEDDING
- BLUE: POSE BLUFF, FRONT, MASQUERADE, POSTURE
- YELLOW: EAT VORACIOUSLY BOLT, GORGE, INHALE, SCARF
- GREEN: CONICAL THINGS CHRISTMAS TREE, CONE, PARTY HAT, VOLCANO
- My rating: Hard
- My score: 1 mistake
This game was riddled with traps and I managed to fall for one — linking BLUFF, GORGE, VOLCANO and FRONT thinking we were looking for something geographical.
Fortunately after this error, I landed the purple group for the first time in weeks — a triumph with its route in half-remembered knowledge about how kissing the BLARNEY STONE (a mythical rock in Blarney Castle just outside of Cork in Ireland) will bring the kisser the gift of the gab. Performing the kiss means leaning over the side of a high wall, so you need to be pretty determined to achieve it.
CONICAL THINGS eluded me, because my idea of a PARTY HAT is a paper crown and not necessarily conical, but the tile CONE should have made this group more of a giveaway.
Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Sunday, February 22, game #987)
- YELLOW: ONE WHO DOESN'T FIT IN BLACK SHEEP, MISFIT, OUTCAST, REJECT
- GREEN: DESCRIPTORS FOR GRAYING HAIR DISTINGUISHED, FLECKED, SALT-AND-PEPPER, SILVER
- BLUE: CLASSIC COMIC STRIPS BLONDIE, BLOOM COUNTY, PEANUTS, THE FAR SIDE
- PURPLE: ASSOCIATED WITH THEODORE ROOSEVELT BIG STICK, BULL MOOSE, ROUGH RIDERS, TEDDY BEAR
What is NYT Connections?
NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.
On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.
It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.
It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.
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